Technology

In the Fall of 1991, TMMI released "TMM SoftVideo version 1.1," the world's first software-only video codec on the market, utilizing RLE (Run Length Encoding). TMMI's products included a complete suite of video editing and authoring tools for the digital video and multimedia computing markets, commonly referred to at the time as the "Interactive Multimedia Market."

Meanwhile, a major breakthrough emerged in Fractal Image Compression by Iterated Systems Inc. The introduction of an automatic fractal transform process eliminated the need for heavy human intervention during encoding, which had plagued early experimentation with the technology. Arnaud Jacquin, a graduate student of fractal pioneer Michael Barnsley, implemented this first automated fractal algorithm.

In 1992, Total Multimedia Inc. approached Iterated Systems Inc. to bring fractal compression to motion video. TMMI provided development funding and defined the "SoftVideo" performance specifications, including the use of the proprietary .SVF (SoftVideo Fractal) file extension. The companies entered into a License Agreement granting Total Multimedia Inc. the exclusive worldwide master license for fractal video compression and decompression algorithms VDK 1.0–1.4. While development resulted in a version of SoftVideo that successfully utilized Partitioned Iterated Function Systems (PIFS) and Affine Transformations, it was technically limited to 15-bit color.

Despite this color limitation, TMMI's SoftVideo™ was licensed by entertainment powerhouses like Paramount and Spectrum Holobyte, producing popular CD-ROM games of the era such as "Falcon Gold F-16," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and "The Art of the Kill."

Due to the stark computational limitations of that era and rapidly increasing screen resolutions, it became necessary to reduce the number of both encoding and decoding operations required by the "full fractal" VDK 1.0–1.9 versions to maintain viable playback.

In 1994, TMMI financed Iterated Systems Inc.'s development of the patented VDK 2.0 architecture, establishing a lifecycle that spanned 1994–2026. This streamlined, non-PIFS algorithm natively supported 24-bit RGB/YUV 4:4:4 color space processing arrays, which were subsequently deployed across various hardware variants (VDK 2.1 through 2.4).

In 1996, TMMI subcontracted Advanced Multimedia Concepts Inc. ("AMCI") for custom development of its i386 VDK 2.1-based compressor, resulting in an enhanced production version in 1997. In 1999, as the web matured, TMMI subcontracted Digital Focus, Inc. to integrate Microsoft’s ASF (Advanced Streaming Format) into the engine, but the integration was never completed, and the technology went dormant following a series of legal disputes.

The turning point came in 2011, when TMM Inc. brought in a new management team that revived and evolved the architecture into an advanced derivative rebranded as TRUDEF™ VDK3, rebuilt for 64-bit multi-core hardware to support up to 8K resolution.

A fractal is an object or quantity that displays self-similarity. Fractal image compression is founded on the fact that in a sequence of images blocks containing self similar patterns are repeated. Optimized for performance, TRUDEF™ VDK3 Fractal Video codec is a simplified non PIFS (Partitioned Iterated Function Systems) algorithm that searches for self similar blocks within an image encoding them into data called "fractal codes". When images are viewed; fractal codes are remapped back into the correct location using self similar blocks where matches exist.

Fractal video compression is asymmetrical in nature, encoding is resource intensive, however, playback is lightweight and fast. TRUDEF™ Fractal Video is an effective method of playing visually lossless quality, high resolution 2x2 block encoded Intra Frame video compressed in the 3 to 4:1 file size reduction range. TRUDEF™ uses Intra Frame only (no data is shared between frames) which eliminates temporal artifacts when playing video containing complex image data.

TRUDEF™ VDK3 Fractal Video codec compresses video in the 24 bit RGB/YUV 4:4:4 color space offering a rich viewing experience compared to most common distribution codecs that down sample color to YUV 4:2:0 resulting in excessive color loss. The performance characteristics of the TRUDEF™ VDK3 Fractal Video are best utilized for visually lossless quality, native (non scaled) high resolution video for custom use cases.

TRUDEF™ has been tested with the "Magic Hour" sequence of StEM (Standard Evaluation Material) commissioned by DCI (Digital Cinema Initiative) for purposes of video codec quality analysis. This digitally scanned 35mm film saved as 4096x1714 16-bit TIFF files contains a number of elements such as complex motion, film graining and color variations that are a better test of a video codec's capabilities.

In 2013 TRUDEF™ VDK3 Fractal Video was designed for high quality 4K playback at 2,000 mbps, 8x the data rate as specified by the DCI for Digital Cinema (2012 250mbps JPEG 2000 2K or 4K) on commodity hardware.

The 2026 Version 3.1 update represents the definitive "hardening" and final chapter of the original 8-bit color Iterated Systems Inc. legacy codebase.

• Engineering Focus: Led by Spectrumbyte Technologies (SBT), this effort heavily prioritized stabilizing and modernizing the system.


• The End of an Era: Version 3.1 is officially designated as the final version of this specific legacy codebase.

Recognizing that the legacy TRUDEF VDK architecture could no longer scale, Spectrumbyte Technologies has transitioned to the High Dynamic Range (HDR) FractalPix Codec, designed to break past the old 8-bit limits.

Raw Uncompressed Frame

TRUDEF™ 24 bit RGB/YUV 4:4:4